Adventures in Takita
by MichaelTakita
Summary: Michael's new adventure begins in the Takita region, a new region region filled with mysteries and old favourites. The region features Gen I to Gen VI pokemon, from Meowth to Meowstic! Join Michael as he sets off from Marsillian town, and meets all kinds of new friends! For more information on the story, visit my deviantart acount! -Username: mtakita- Happy reading, Michael
1. Let's Get going!

**CHAPTER I**

I WOKE UP THIS MORNING EXCITED AS EVER. I leapt out of bed as soon as possible, and I almost tripped over Archie, my family's Growlithe. I quickly apologized and narrowly avoided an Ember aimed at my feet. Archie went quickly back to sleep. He has been with my family ever since my little sister, Clarisse, was born. He's been a major help after Dad moved away. We are really close, and the only thing that makes me sad today is that I am leaving him behind with my family.

Oops, I'm getting carried away. I should start by introducing myself. My name is Michael Wilson, and I am 15 years old. I live in the region of Takita, North-East of Kalos, across the sea. I live with my mother, Audrey, and my little sister Clarisse in Marsillian Town, southwest Takita. My mom used to be the Gym Leader in our town, except when she had me she quit to care for me and the wild Pokémon around the town. My father is a Gym Leader in Sinnoh, far away from here. I hope that one day I can visit him. Sinnoh has always fascinated me. The pictures Dad sends me are filled of Pokémon, and the scenery around Sunnyshore city is just breathtaking.

Today is the day that I get a Pokémon. My mom promised me that I would love my new partner. I already know which one I want, and I've double checked with the lab down Route 1 to make sure he is there. I love all types of Pokémon, and I've always have had a soft spot for fluffiness. I love cuddling with Pokémon, and Archie and I both love napping together, even as I grow up. I am going to miss my cozy little fire puppy.

I go downstairs to the kitchen. Mom practically runs me over and hugs me all over. The last few days have been incredibly hard on her. She has been getting everything ready for my big adventure, even though I can only carry a single hiking backpack. So far, it has been stuffed to the brim with extra clothes, a first-aid kit and guides to Takita. I also have pockets full of pokeballs and a debit card. I still have no clue how I am going to be able to carry all this while caring for my Pokémon.

My mom is in hysterics, screaming, "It's finally here! My baby is leaving!" As usual, I calm her down, and get her focused again on last minute tasks. Clarisse stomps down the stairs, and Archie quickly follows.

"Michael! You woke me up! When do you finally leave?"

Unlike mom, Clary hasn't been as stressed or sad. She's been making comments like that for a while now, even though both of us know she doesn't _really _want me to leave. Since I am starting my journey a year later than usual for kids in Takita, she will be starting her own next year, probably sooner, if she manages to convince my mom to let her go. She is amazing at caring for Pokémon, and will be a great trainer. I've heard her phone calls with dad, and she apparently wants him to send her a Pokémon from Sinnoh, and he is having a hard time saying no lately. The problem is, Sinnoh is very far and getting the Pokémon to her will be real hard. Knowing her, she'll get one anyways.

I finish my breakfast, and I make sure that everything is in place. I review what I need to do today, like pick up my Xtransceiver from the Pokemart, stock up on food at the grocery store, and finally meet my friend Simon at the edge of town, near Route 1. Simon and I have been friends since we were born. We've been in the same class since kindergarten, and we love competing over stuff. I don't think we've ever had a big enough competition, but this journey should be just large enough for us to handle. Simon has always had clear ideas of what his Pokémon team will be. He loves planning everything out beforehand, and needs everything to be balanced for him to be comfortable.

I promised my family that I would come back as soon as I get my Pokémon. Today is just my introduction into travelling through Takita.

I'm sorry, I completely forgot to tell you about Takita! See, Takita is a region with a variety of Pokémon that are otherwise only found in one or two regions. I've heard that in Kanto, you can find a Growlithe, but wouldn't be able to find a Murkrow. But in Takita, you find them both in the same areas, living together in harmony. So, I guess you could say the region is all about harmony. We have striking coastlines and towering mountain tops. Deep forests are right next to open prairies. Even the climate changes. Marsillian Town is bright and sunny, but Exalt City in the north is cold and foggy. Diversity is the most stunning feature of Takita.

In terms of actual geography, Takita is made up of a large peninsula to the north, starting in the northeast and heading southwest. The Marsillian area is south of there, and is connected by the Falcon Bridge, a landmark of the region. To the east of my home, there is the route along the sea and beach leading to the main mountain range of the region and eventually to the large peninsula. There are two large lakes in the mountains named Grizz Lake and Lake Inari. There is an island to the northwest of the peninsula, which has a unique climate because of ocean currents, causing it to have weird heat. They grow fruit and flowers, as well as fish to export to the rest of the region, and even abroad.

Takita has a smaller population than most regions, and most of the north and east is still to be explored. The biggest city in the region is Epos City, on the eastern edge of Takita Bay. It is the business center of Takita, and all the big decisions are taken there. It isn't the political capital, but it is in the Golden Triangle, the region's group of important cities. The other ones are Diafo city, the political capital, and Chroma city, the cultural capital. Epos is the southern point, and Diafo and Chroma are northwest and northeast respectively from there. Marsillian Town is one of the smaller towns, and the area has a recreational and a tourist economy.

That's enough geography for today!

My mom is almost in tears when I am finally ready to leave. She knows I am coming back tonight, but she's not emotionally ready for what comes after. I pity Clarisse having to put up with her, and I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when she leaves. Maybe she'll try being a trainer again and reopen the gym.

I leave the house with my daypack on, and start going to the Pokemart. The town has only a couple hundred people, and they are all strewn out around the countryside. We leave near the center, about a two minute walk from everything. Simon lives about two minutes on the other side of town, closer to Route 1. I walk into the store, and I am instantly welcomed with the scent of freshly baked muffins. See, our Pokemart doubles as a bakery. The bell on the door jingles as I walk in.

"Michael!" boomed a voice at the back of the store. "You're early! If I had known, I would've prepared your Xtransceiver for you at the front. I'm in the kitchen, come." Nancy, the store-owner, is a kind lady who loves tinkering and cooking, and the whole town admires her cooking. We can smell her baking from our house in the morning, and we always make sure to pick some up before school. Nancy always makes sure to save us some of her best ones, and never disappoints.

"Hey Nancy, sorry again, but I'm kind of in a rush, I need to get to the Cypress lab before noon."

"No problem, I'm done baking, and your Xtransceiver is somewhere over here…" She starts rummaging through a pile of phones, tablets and other Xtransceivers and finally pulls out a green and gold one.

"It's this one, right?" she says.

"Nope, sorry, Nancy." She goes through again until she pulls out another, this time green and black.

"Got it. For payment, just tell your mom to settle with me later. And now, as a personal gift from me, take these freshly baked muffins. Share them with Simon and your future Pokémon!"

I gratefully take the muffins and put them in my bag, and take an extra muffin on my way. I take a bite, and the moist blueberry flavour almost makes me stop walking just to appreciate her talent. Nancy really outdid herself on these! I start walking towards Simon's house. Simon Stone is my best friend. His house is a little cottage at the edge of a pond, where he lives with his dad. His dad is great outdoors man, and loves taking Simon and I camping, and would battle wild Pokémon for us. Just like his last name, he uses strong rock types, like Geodude and Nosepass. He taught me the basics of Pokémon battling, and my mom taught everything about loving Pokémon.

I walk up the driveway to the small cottage. Despite the isolation from the road, the cottage is very well kept, and Simon's dad has his Pokémon helping him in the garden. His Pokémon are always at it; every single time I'm over, they are working cheerily. I walk up the door, passing bushes and trees, each with a couple Pokémon nearby. I'm about to knock on the door, when it bursts open,

"Michael, finally! I've been waiting all morning for you to get here! You're five minutes late!" Simon says exasperated. He looks extremely well prepared for today, with his backpack and sweater already on. He lets me in the house, and I make a beeline for the living room, where, as I guessed, his father would be, already planning the next great hiking trip. He has a Geodude on the table, and is eagerly tracing lines on a map of Marsillian Town. I say hello, and make my way over to the table.

"So, Michael, you're finally ready to get a Pokémon? It's too bad, I offered Simon one of my Pokémon, but you know him, eh, always wants to examine the field of battle, always one step ahead." He barely looks up from the table. He is looking for the best way around a river.

"I know, but I hope that an actual Pokémon will change his mind. You do realize that he gets it from you, right?"

He claps me on the back, and says, "There's a good boy, now don't be late for Professor Cypress, and remember, call if you need anything. God, it's going to be so strange without you two running around all the time."

I wave goodbye to him as Simon and I run out the door, and we loop around to the side. We pick up our bikes, and we start riding. I left my bike at his house last night so his dad could repair the wheel, and now it's fixed completely. My bike is green and blue, and I have a small basket on the back to hold small items. I put the muffins and the map in there when I got on, and I can feel them bouncing along. We pass through the rest of town, and the people who are awake this early wave to us, smiling knowing that we are about to get our starter Pokémon.


	2. A New Friend!

**CHAPTER II**

WE EVENTUALLY SLOW DOWN. The actual route to Cypress lab is only about 2 hours of biking, so around 30 km. The route is pretty straight forward; grass and forests for the first third, a road along the ocean for the second, and finally more plains and small farms for the last third. We are already thinking about lunch about an hour in. Simon looks around the side of the road for a place to stop and eat. He finds a wide ledge at the edge of the ocean, about 6 feet up from the waves. We break open our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Simon, as usual with his sandwiches, rips off the crusts and throws them away, into the sea. Immediately, several Pokémon come to the surface to eat. I see a couple Magikarp, a Poliwhirl and a Horsea. We keep giving them little bits of food, and I even break up one of my muffins for them. They don't even seem to be fighting, just sharing it peacefully. They start to get more agitated, and they scatter when a shadow approaches the surface. It jumps straight out of the water, less than a foot from my face.

It's a Sharpedo! The Brutal Pokémon almost takes a bite of my face, but Simon is quick enough to shove it back into the sea. The Sharpedo lands with a splash, and, obviously frightened, swims back down to the deeps. I realize now that the Horsea didn't flee, and that it was there the whole time, looking intently at us. I realize we just "saved" it. The Horsea, still young, must be in shock at the Sharpedo. I walk down the steep hill, and stop on a rock. I put some muffin on my palm, and gently lower my hand into the water. The Horsea seems a bit skittish, but I whisper softly, "Its okay, you can trust me, I'm here." After a while, he swims his way over, and gingerly begins sucking up the food with his mouth. I've decided that he is a male, because the spines on his head are longer than the ones I've seen before, who were female. I take a picture of us using my camera.

"That was amazing, Michael!" says Simon behind me. He's making his own way down the slope, and nearly trips into the water. The noise he made is enough to scare my new friend away. The Horsea swims away and is soon completely gone. "Simon! Look what you did!"

"Calm down, we need to leave anyways if we're going to get to the lab before three o'clock."

We climb up to the ledge again, finish our food, and then we are up again on the bikes. We keep biking, and every so often, when I look behind us, I see little spines poking out the water, but they quickly disappear.

We take short breaks every 15 minutes, and our third break is where the forest meets the ocean. We stop, and seeing as the path breaks away from the ocean and goes inland, I go to the edge, and say goodbye to my little friend. As I approach, he finally raises his head out of the water, and I pet his head. I say goodbye, and I promise I'll see him later today. I quickly get back on the bike, and follow Simon into the woods. After the warmth of the sun on our backs fades away, the thick forest starts to get cold. Every so often, we see specks that we can only guess are Pidgey and Starly. We also see Rattata scurrying along, and some Wurmple are feeding on leaves. We don't stop, because its 2:45, and we can't be any later if we want to make it home in time.

I see a sign, and we pull over for some snacks. Simon passes me a granola bar, and we sit for five minutes. This time, it's not me who makes the friend. A wild Cleffa comes up to him and plops herself down in his lap. The Cleffa doesn't seem the least bit scared, and Simon just sits there laughing gently as he lets her eat his granola bar. We sit there a while, chatting, and admiring the Cleffa.

"I do need a normal type, you know." This surprises me, because I thought that Simon had his whole party planned out, and that the only thing missing was getting to the right habitats. I guess he has the types planned out, just not the actual Pokémon.

"Then take her with you! She can ride in the basket and we can get her a pokeball at the lab."

"Cleffa, do you want to come with me on my adventure? We'll have lots of fun!"

"Cleff-Cleffa-Cle!" Cleffa bounces with excitement. She looks like a little fairy on sugar.

"Hey, I know, why don't you call her Pix? She looks like it, don't you think?" I say as I stroke Cleffa. Simon agrees, and Pix is now officially his! I have to admit, I am a little bit jealous, considering we are not even at the lab yet and he has his first Pokémon. My mind strays back to the Horsea, and I cants stop wondering if I should catch him. I can't go back now and carry him like Simon and Cleffa, because he is a water type, and will probably dry out. When I get pokeballs, then we'll see.

Cleffa gets settled in the basket, and we are off to complete the final leg of the ride. Cleffa can't stop giggling at every bump in the road, and soon we are all laughing together at Pix's enjoyment. Simon is clearly ecstatic with his new friend. I can't believe that every moment of our lives will soon be filled with these wonderful Pokémon. I can barely contain myself as we see a sign saying "Cypress labs – 1km" We all whoop with excitement. It looks like we're going to make it in time. We ride as hard as possible down the path. At the top of a small hill leading down to the lab, we pause. I can't help admiring the beauty of the landscape.

The lab, a small compound of modern cabins sitting at the edge of the sea, is surrounded by the forest and the beach. Route 1 leads directly through the lab, and it's impossible to get past to Route 2 without going through the courtyard. We race down the hill, and we cross the many pastures and habitats of the labs, where we see scientists observing the many Pokémon, some playing with young kids, some alone. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small brown flash. I can't help grinning, and I suddenly realize just how much I have waited for this moment. I have no other thing on my mind except for my upcoming adventure.

We get to the courtyard, park our bikes in the bike rack, and make our way to the large wooden entrance. "Hello, Michael and Simon, and welcome to Cypress Labs!"


	3. Eevee!

**CHAPTER III**

"I AM PROFESSOR CYPRESS". The man who stands before us is young. He wears a coat overtop a blue dress shirt, with a black tie. His jeans are dark blue. He doesn't seem very tall or intimidating, but I know from his articles and interviews that his intellect is world renowned. Cypress is the Pokémon professor specializing in human and Pokémon relationships. His research is focused mainly on the effect of human companionship on Pokémon. Similar to Professor Oak of Kanto, Cypress studies how humans and Pokémon affect each other as well as how other Pokémon affect each other. He has worked with professor Rowan in terms of friendship evolution, and professor Juniper to analyse the link between Pokémon and human history.

"Today, you will be given two Pokémon to start your journey. Or, as in Simon's case, a Pokémon to _continue _his journey." He smiles knowingly as Pix comes around the corner. Cypress pulls out a pokeball, and throws it to Simon.

"Gee, thanks!" Simon quickly taps it gently on Pix's head, and the star-shape Pokémon squeals in delight before being absorbed by the red light. The pokeball beeps, and Simon lets Pix out again, and holds her.

"Now, the reason you both are here is to collect your previously requested to begin your Pokémon journey. The convention dictates that you both shall accept a Pokedex, and if you don't, I cannot give you your starters. Now, will you agree to help complete the encyclopedia of everything Pokémon?"

We both answer yes immediately and confidently to this question. Cypress doesn't seem the least bit surprised; he must deal with kids like us every day. He tosses us two Pokedexes, and gracefully turns around and goes through double doors. An assistant follows behind us.

"Michael, Simon, this is my assistant, Samantha" He doesn't even turn around, he just keeps walking through the large lobby. Samantha doesn't seem to mind. The lobby is designed like a chalet: a large set of windows shaped up to the ceiling, and then wooden and white walls. There are a dozen doors around the room, no doubt leading to the laboratories and the habitats.

"I'm here to teach you how to use the Pokedex after you get your Pokémon. I will also give you your starter packs," Says Samantha. She is young, about our age, maybe a year older, with long black hair, and dressed in the lab coat with a skirt and dress shirt. I can't help but think she's very pretty. She seems very well organized, and the tablet in her hands is full of notes.

We go through a set of doors marked "Introductory classrooms". Cypress doesn't slow down, and keeps walking past small classrooms on both sides of the hallways. Considering it is just Simon and I today, I guess that we are heading to the smallest classroom at the end of the hallway, closest to the vault.

We enter the classroom, and, to my surprise, two pokeballs are already there. I can't help shaking in excitement at the thought of my future Pokémon in one of those. They are both the standard pokeball, and there is no way to tell which Pokémon is in which. Simon hasn't told me his requested Pokémon, and I haven't told him mine either, so we are both going to be surprised when we open them. Behind the pokeballs are two backpacks, probably containing beginner items for us to use.

"In these pokeballs are your Pokémon. They were raised right here in the lab, and are very friendly. Simon, uh, I respect your Pokémon choice, however, I took the liberty of teaching him a move to help the training, considering his, ah, move set."

"Thanks professor! I knew that when I chose him, but I was still at a loss. Thanks so much!"

"Now, I have other duties to handle, so excuse me as I depart. Samantha will handle everything." He turns around and leaves the room. Samantha smiles nervously, clearly caught off guard by the Professor's announcement. She hesitates awhile before continuing.

"So, would you like to receive your Pokémon first or be taught how to use the Pokedex and items?" She laughs, already knowing our answers. She goes over to the pokeballs, picks them up and gives them to us.

"These are your starter Pokémon. You need to develop a close bond with them to really see their potential. Starters are usually the trainer's favourite Pokémon (whether or not you admit it). To help bond with your Pokémon, try to walk around with them out of their pokeball. Now, how will you open their balls for the first time? Together, or one by one?"

"Michael, you first! I already have one Pokémon, so the honours all yours."

I enlarge my pokeball, and then press the button, and say, "Eevee, come on out!" The Eevee I saw in the fields earlier has soon appeared from the red light. I kneel down and let her sniff me. I tentatively stroke her fur, and soon we are cuddling on the floor. I realize that Simon hasn't met his Pokémon yet, and I quickly pick Eevee up, and I keep petting her. Simon lets Pix out to meet the new Pokémon.

"Abra, let's go!" An Abra pops out of the pokeball. Simon kneels down and begins to play with him. The Abra is soon murmuring contently. Pix comes up to him to play, but Abra doesn't notice until pix touches him. "Bra!" Abra teleports a few meters back. That gives everyone quite a fright. Pix approaches Abra again, this time more carefully. Abra lets her climb into his lap, and soon they are both getting along. I remember that I have the last muffin in my backpack, and I give it to my Eevee. She gladly gobbles it up.

"Now that everyone is settled in, let's begin instruction. Please take a seat." Samantha puts her tablet down, and sets up the projector. A Pokedex is enlarged on the screen.

"Please take out your Pokedex. You will see that it is a flip design, and that the long side has the hinge. Inside, you will find the screen as well as a QWERTY keyboard. Next to the keyboard, there are RECORD, ON and OFF buttons. You will also find your 'Seen' and 'Recorded' count, in the form of 00/00. Take a few seconds to fiddle, then we'll move on to your starter packs."

I take a break from stroking Eevee, and turn on the Pokedex. I press record, and scan her. EEVEE, THE EVOLUTION POKEMON. BECAUSE ITS GENETIC MAKEUP IS IRREGULAR, IT QUICKLY CHANGES FORM DUE TO A VARIETY OF CAUSES. I see my counter changes to 03/01. That means I've seen Abra and Cleffa, and caught Eevee. I look at her stats and her moves. It shows Eevee's height and weight, and that she knows Swift, Tackle and Sand-Attack. I look over at Simon, and he's done the same. I continue playing with Eevee, all the while thinking of a nickname for her. I notice that as I pet her, she makes a drawn-out Kiii-maaa sound, which is highly unusual for a Pokémon.

"Now that you are both acquainted with the Pokedex, we will begin on your starter packs. Take one each, please." We each take one of the small, clear briefcases, and sit down again. I open up the clasps, and wait for Samantha to continue.

"In these boxes, you will find a bag of berries, three vacuum-sealed blankets, two super potions, three revives and a variety of other useful items that you have requested or been assigned. Take a couple of minutes to examine them carefully. I will be waiting in the lobby for the next step." Samantha exits the room. The first thing I do is open the Berry bag. Mom has warned me on multiple occasions to never underestimate a berry. Inside, I find three of each status-healing berry: Cherri, Chesto, Rawst, Pecha and Aspear. In addition, I find five Sitrus berries. I find the pack of blankets, and they come in a variety of colours. They also included a small little pump to reseal the packs. The super potions and revives are easy to find. I find two TMs in a special case: Return and Bulk Up. I know from my studies that Return inflicts damage based on the user's bond with its trainer, and that Bulk Up makes the user stronger. Both of these are extremely useful for a beginner like me. Near the case is a laminated coupon, apparently valid for two purchases at the mall in Chroma City. My mom and Clarisse are always talking about finally taking a boat there and how it's the biggest mall in the region, and one of the biggest in the world. The last two objects included are a field guide to the Pokémon of Takita and a strange little bell. I try ringing it, and the most pure noise imaginable chimes. Simon looks up, dazzled by the beauty, and stares at the bell.

"You got one too? I heard that Soothe Bells make Pokémon friendlier!" I tie it around Eevee's neck. She picks at it with her small little teeth, then begins to pace the room, eventually stopping by the door and scratching it. Abra teleports to the door too, still carrying Pix. Simon and I clearly get the message: it's time to leave the lab and head home. We both pack up our briefcases, and put them in our backpacks. Before we go, I also scan Abra and Pix:

"Abra, the Psi Pokémon. Even while asleep, it maintains a telepathic radar. It teleports when it is threatened." Abra is a psychic type, and the pre-evolved form of Kadabra.

"Cleffa, the Star Shape Pokémon. On nights with many shooting stars, Cleffa can be seen dancing in a ring. They dance until daybreak, when they quench their thirst with the morning dew." Cleffa are Normal type Pokémon, and evolve into Clefairy. My "Seen" count increases from 1 to 3

We return to the lobby, our Pokémon running about behind us. Eevee is trotting around, sniffing everything and taking everything in. She is really quite curious about the world around her. I can't wait to start exploring Takita with her. Abra is teleporting again, and Pix can't get enough of guessing where he'll turn up next. We finally make our way outside, and near our bikes is Samantha. She looks up from her tablet and flashes us a smile before leading us in the opposite direction from which we arrived. I see a set of lines drawn in the yard. Simon and I look at each other with excitement.


	4. Vs Hoothoot and Ralts!

**CHAPTER IV**

"GET THOSE FOOLISH GRINS OFF YOUR FACES!"

Samantha stops and turns around abruptly. She is still smiling as she pulls out two minimized pokeballs. She holds them between her fingers. She twirls them around expertly, and calls out her two Pokémon. In a flash of red light, a Ralts and a Hoothoot appear. I immediately take out my Pokedex, and scan each one.

"RALTS, THE FEELING POKÉMON. IF ITS HORNS CAPTURE THE WARM FEELINGS OF PEOPLE OR POKÉMON, ITS BODY WARMS UP SLIGHTLY." It also says that Ralts is a Psychic type, and that it is the pre-evolved form of Kirlia. I check Hoothoot next:

"HOOTHOOT, THE OWL POKÉMON. IT HAS A PERFECT SENSE OF TIME. WHATEVER HAPPENS, IT KEEPS RHYTHM BY PRECISELY TILTING ITS HEAD IN TIME." It tells me that Hoothoot is a Normal and Flying type, and the pre-evolved form of Noctowl. I see the counter for "Seen" increase from 3 to 5.

"My two Pokémon will make excellent opponents for your first battle! I will face each of you individually, using only one of my Pokémon for each battle. It is up to you to decide which you want to face. I have to warn you: my psychic attacks are quite powerful. You have one minute."

Simon immediately pulls me aside. "Michael, I want to battle with both my Pokémon. Abra resists psychic attacks, and Cleffa needs training. I want to battle Ralts, if that's okay."

I agree, and I am still confused as to how he can know all this after less than an hour of being a trainer. He sees my look and simply answers, "Duh, Training 101, like, 5 years ago, Pokémon types" I can barely remember what the types are. I'm more of the person who plays it by ear, and I generally learn what I need through experience and in real-time.

"Alright, I'll take Hoothoot. Can you take care of him, Eevee?" I walk away from Simon back towards Samantha. Eevee is still making the strange purring sound. "I hope I'll understand you better after the battle. Isn't that what battles are for, to bond?"

"Let's go! Eevee!" I shout as I allow her onto the battlefield. I keep my Pokedex at the ready for quick access to her info. Simon and I have already told Samantha who we want to battle. At the opposite end of the field stands Hoothoot. He is cooing softly, and moving around uneasily. I realize now that Samantha's Pokémon aren't as experienced as I thought, and she must've gotten these Pokémon recently.

"Since you're new, you can have first move. Simon will referee. You just need to know the basics, don't worry." I look reassuringly at Eevee as I decide which move to use first. I devise a small plan for the first few moves.

"Eevee, open up with Tackle!" I watch as Eevee starts running at the Hoothoot. She growls her little noise as she bears down on the Hoothoot.

"Quick! Fly up and then use peck!" Samantha doesn't look the slightest bit worried. Eevee can't stop, and skids to a stop on her belly. She gets up immediately, ready for more.

"Eevee! Watch out!" Too late. Hoothoot swoops in and gets ready to Peck.

"Eevee, use Sand-Attack up close!" She kick and kicks. The sand hits Hoothoot straight in the eyes. Hoothoot is unbalanced enough to power down the Peck, however it sends Eevee sailing back a few yards.

"Come on Eevee! You can do it! Get up and use Sand-Attack again!" Eevee whips up a large dust cloud that swirls around Hoothoot.

"Oh no you don't! You're forgetting that Hoothoot's wings can easily get rid of the sand" The airborne Hoothoot gets rid of the sand in a couple of seconds. The power of the wings makes his flight a little awkward. The sand in its eyes must still be bothering him. A sudden thought comes into my mind: _Samantha only knows about Tackle and Sand-Attack. If I can surprise her with Swift, we might be able to get in closer._

"Eevee! Get in as close as possible to Hoothoot, and I need you to make the biggest dust cloud ever." Eevee happily obliges and starts running. She stirs up the sand from the battlefield and soon enough there is a large cloud surrounding Hoothoot. Samantha is trying her hardest to get commands to Hoothoot, but flying in the sand is distracting him. I see the opportunity.

"_Now! Swift!"_ I shout as loudly as possible. "Eevee!" Eevee answers. She flicks her tail back and forth, and silver stars are soon shooting out and heading straight for Hoothoot. Samantha can only watch helplessly from the sidelines as her Hoothoot is blown about the field, desperately avoiding the stars. Swift stars always follow and find their mark, unless blocked. Some of the stars hit him, and the others pursue him. Hoothoot is obviously weakened. _Right into my trap._ I tell Eevee to intercept him with Tackle to finish him off. I say this with no rush, as Hoothoot is caught, unable to escape the whirlwind of sand and stars. I take a moment to realize just how excited I am. I also feel exhausted. I had no clue that Trainers also work hard in battles!

Eevee closes in. She gets ready to leap at Hoothoot, and with a huge "_Kiiimmmaaaaa",_ she leaves the ground. I feel my heart sink. I know that her body won't make it. She is just a little too early. She barely touches Hoothoot, and she plummets. She hits the ground in a large _thump._ I feel certain that this is it for us. She fought her hardest, but it wasn't enough.

To everyone's surprise, and Samantha's dismay, she can stand up. We watch as Hoothoot struggles. We can all tell something is different. Eevee slowed him down, just enough for the Swift to catch up with him. The remaining stars hit him, and that combined with the fading Sand-Attack are enough to make him faint when he hits the ground.

"Hoothoot is unable to battle. Michael's Eevee is the winner of the match!"

I can't believe I've won my first battle! I run quickly over to where Eevee is barely standing. I fall to my knees, and barely have time to pick her up before she falls asleep. She still is purring as I walk over to where Samantha and Simon are chatting. I decide the perfect name for my new partner: Kima, after the adorable noise she makes.

"Good battle, Michael! Despite your limited experience, you still managed to grind me to pulp! I enjoyed our battle immensely. Before I forget, take this Super potion. Use it on Eevee when she wakes up."

"Samantha, are you ready to face me, the ultimate challenge? The oncoming storm? We're pumped for this!" Simon says as he lets his team out. We all know that he is all talk, as his Pokémon are just as strong as mine.

The two Pokémon and Ralts all echo their approval, and very soon I am standing on the edge of the battlefield. The two battlers are standing on each side of the battlefield, Pokémon at the ready. I can't tell if Abra is excited or worried, but Samantha's Ralts is hovering back and forth, anticipating the battle. Simon is confident in his abilities, and despite her defeat earlier, Samantha is just as excited as during my battle. I still have no clue what move professor Cypress taught Abra, and whether or not it will be effective. Despite my limited knowledge of Cypress, I know that he wouldn't give Simon an ultra-powerful move or even the opposite. His research focuses on unlocking abilities through Pokémon partnerships, so the move must have something to do with it. I jolt out of my thoughts as the battlers glare at me, annoyed at my delay.

"The battle between Samantha and Simon may now begin!" I yell across the field, and both Pokémon move towards the center of the field.

"Ralts, use Confusion!" Samantha has definitely learned her lesson from our battle. She doesn't let Simon attack first. I hope she realizes that a Psychic move like Confusion will be easier to resist by a Pokémon of that type like Abra. Ralts' head fin begins to glow red. I can see the faintest hints of a beam of psychic energy float towards Abra. I can't believe Simon hasn't made a move yet to avoid it. The beam arrives at Abra, surrounding him. It creeps slowly, almost tentatively towards him. I'm amazed at Ralts' intelligence. She knows that Abra could lash out at any moment, and she controls the beam with precision, making sure that he's trapped. That must be a real energy drainer, and Ralts must be incredibly focused. I realize with surprise Simon's strategy. He's going to let Ralts get tired, and then teleport out of it. I almost yell to Samantha, but then stop, remembering my duties as referee. Samantha's smart, she'll find out soon enough. She doesn't seem to notice Simon not doing anything.

The confusion settles in, and Abra starts to glow the same colour as Ralts' fin. Time is running out for Simon and Abra. "Teleport, now!" shouts Simon.

"Abra!" Abra is gone instantly, reappearing a few metres away. Abra seems completely fine. Ralts hasn't noticed, and her Confusion is still going strong. "Ralts! Stop your Confusion before you get tired!" The beam flickers and dies, and Ralts stops glowing. We can all tell that the move has taken its toll on her. She needs to catch her breath before trying something like that again.

"My turn to attack! Abra, use Hidden Power!" Simon shouts. So, that's the mystery move. Cypress taught Abra a move that depends on the user. Hidden Power could be any type of move, from Fire to Dragon. I wish I could say I guessed it, but despite the obviousness, I can't say I did. There remains one mystery still: what type will it be?

Abra begins to gather energy of some sort. It's a weird shade of burnt red, almost brown. The sphere of energy is in front of Abra's chest, and is slowly growing in luminescence and size. I'm guessing that Abra is waiting for the ball to be at its strongest before shooting it at Ralts.

I glance over at Samantha and Ralts. She doesn't seem too worried by the new move, and even has a small smirk on her face. Ralts is regaining her strength. I can't guess at her strategy, and I wonder when it will show itself. Her grin worries me, as if she has a trump card ready to use. Despite my limited knowledge of Pokémon battling, I know that anything could happen.

I almost miss what happens next. I turn just in time for the sphere of energy to race across the field towards Abra. The sphere grew to almost double the size of my head, so it must pack a punch. Abra doesn't flinch. Just like Abra and her Confusion, Ralts Teleports away. However she doesn't make it far enough. The couple meters she moved doesn't protect her from the blast. The ball exploded where her feet were, and immediately causes a small earthquake. Hidden Power Ground, an interesting type matchup. Ralts is thrown into the air by the shock wave, and crashes headfirst into the ground. She can barely stand up, and when she does, the aftershocks threaten to throw her down again.

"Alright, Abra! Nice move!" Simon is practically exploding with an intense happiness.

"We're not done yet, Simon! I didn't want it to come to this, but I have to do it. Ralts, use Shadow Ball." Samantha really did have a plan. Simon falls silent, and he's at a loss on how to react. Ralts struggles to conjure a ball of darkness which flickers out of existence frequently. Simon uses this time to think of a plan. His look of concentration worries me. I fear he might burst a vein.

He decides on another Hidden Power. Abra repeats the process again, this time faster as he gets used to using it. I can tell the battle is going to end soon, and the finish is bound to be surprising and amazing. They fire their attacks almost simultaneously, and the two balls collide in midair, and a powerful shockwave courses through the air. Flocks of bird Pokémon fly off, and tons of Scientists come rushing to the windows in the building. I even see professor Cypress among them, standing out in his blue among the white. Everyone is amazed by the scene before them.

Abra was knocked almost into the forest, and lies unconscious. Ralts, on the other hand, is glowing a harsh white light. Samantha gasps, "Evolution!" It dawns on me too that Ralts is becoming a Kirlia. I can't believe my first day as a trainer and I'm already witnessing an evolution! I see the whole building clapping tremendously at the battle, and slowly get back to work.

Samantha is elated when Kirlia finishes evolving. However, Kirlia faints. She drops. Samantha races over to her, making sure she is okay. Simon does the same with Abra. Both Pokémon are not seriously injured.

"I declare this battle a tie, as Kirlia's evolution kept her from fainting." I say when everything calms down. Samantha and Simon don't argue. Everyone is just happy the battle is over and no one is hurt.

Samantha is the first to speak. "Simon, I hope Abra is okay, and I know Shadow ball is a bit of an unfair advantage at your level of battling. However, you almost had us beat, and the only thing I could do was tie it up. I'm sorry. Without you, my Ralts would not have evolved. As a thank you, I want you to have Shadow Ball's TM. It will help you against other Psychic types."

Simon takes the TM kit, and he leaves to the clinic in the Lab with Pix.

"Samantha, that was amazing." I say as we walk towards the lab. "The way you battle… it's amazing to watch. Thanks for helping me realize how amazing battling is to participate in and watch. " We're both stroking Kima.

"You're welcome. For a novice, you are quite good yourself. I enjoyed battling with you and your Eevee. But Simon… I think he might have taken it personally. I hope he still likes me… I hope he finds my note in with the TM… By the way, start calling me Sam. We're friends, aren't we?"

"I guess, yeah, and by the way, I named Eevee: Kima, just like her noises." Kima purrs in agreement.


	5. Critical Condition!

**CHAPTER V**

WE ENTER THE LOBBY, and it looks like Abra made a quick recovery, because Simon is waiting for us, Pix in his hands. I look out the giant lobby windows.

"It's getting late, Simon, I think we should get home." I say, walking towards the yard where we put our bikes. I stand my bike up and put Kima in the basket. She curls up in the fading light. We both get ready to go, and to my surprise Sam goes up to Simon and gives him a dainty little kiss on the cheek.

"What, none for me?" I say after her as she disappears into the complex. She blows me a quick kiss. Professor Cypress comes out of the door through which she just left.

"Simon, Michael, I hope you enjoyed your first day with Pokémon, and I wish you the best of luck on your journeys. Your battle instincts are spectacular, so you should be fine. I expect I should see you here tomorrow as you make your way towards Route 2. Now, get home before it gets too dark!"

Cypress shoos us off, and we are soon flying along the path. Pix and Kima are happily bouncing along in the baskets. Kima is sitting straight, with her nose to the wind, sniffing the cool dusk air. Over the wind I hear soft purrs, the kind she makes when getting stroked. She must love the wind whistling through her fur. I can't believe that I get to train and become partners with Kima, an amazing Pokémon.

It isn't long before we are back in the forest, and Kima is curled up in a ball, tired after her big day. We're all tired. For her sake, I try to keep our journey as smooth as possible, avoiding as many roots and sticks as I can. I still get an annoyed squeak every once in a while, but you try biking smoothly through a forest. It gets darker, and the forest is starting to come alive. I've heard that whole swarms of Bug Pokémon only come out at night, and that a forest can be empty one minute and filled with Kricketot and Beedrill the next. Most nocturnal Pokémon are peaceful, but I don't want to be in the forest longer than I need to. The sooner we make it onto the open ocean road, the better.

After another fifteen minutes of cycling we make it out of the forest. The last few minutes, we start sprinting unanimously, as the Pokémon start waking up and swarming. By now, Pix and Kima are both asleep, oblivious to our situation. Up ahead glimmers the ocean underneath the rising moon, and the rhythmic pounding of the waves against the rocks make me want to curl up on the edge and sleep till the morning. We press on, without stopping. We take short breaks every twenty minutes, but the day is taking its toll on me. After several kilometers, we turn a corner to find bright flashing lights. It flashes between red, blue and white, which means those are police lights. As we approach, Kima wakes up, startled by the light. I can make out a couple motorcycles and a truck against the harsh light. Beyond that, there is a mess of trucks and cranes.

Out of the light comes a figure. It holds an octagonal sign, which I presume means STOP. We draw closer, and glide to a halt in front of the police officer. Out of the shadows, behind the flashing lights, lurks another shadow. An Absol stands at the ready.

"It's a little late for a bike ride, isn't it? Shouldn't you two be at home?" says the officer. He immediately drops his menacing stance, as does Absol. "Come now, behind the lights. Just a few questions, if you please." He leads us near the edge of the road. I see a fishing ship alarmingly close to the shore. I realize it must be a wreck. As I watch I see another police officer, this time a woman, lead two uniformed men from the wreck. They are dressed in all black, with bright blue hats. Across their shirts are three shinning blue symbols: two triangles with a large letter R in the middle.

"Curious people, don't you think?" says Simon as they pass. I give him a small nudge with my elbow, clearly telling him to mind his mouth. The characters are led into the truck, which I can now tell is a police van. The driver helps close the doors. The criminals are silent the whole way through.  
"I'm sorry for this disturbance. These men manned a fishing vessel, and crashed it here. Obviously unexperienced, and they didn't actually get a net in the water as far as we can tell. However, it is illegal to fish for Pokémon in Takita." The officer gazes out to the sea. "Even now, gallons of oil are spilling out into the ocean from here. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of Pokémon are going to be poisoned and will die, unless the cleanup team can get here soon." He turns back to us, as if he forgot who we were. "Now, what were your names again? Did you see this ship earlier? Did you notice any other strange activity?" We answer the officer, and he takes notes on a pad of paper.

The policewoman comes to our little circle. "Sir, it turns out they did net fish. We are using the crane to bring up the net now. We can't find any other nets, but we'll keep you posted."

I see a bag of darkness rise out of the water. The net is gently placed on the road where a number of volunteers are crowded around it. I rise and make my way over to the net, determined to help. Inside, I see dozens of Water Pokémon trapped, such as Carvanha, Qwilfish and Mantyke. The part that most worries me is one Pokémon in particular: Horsea. Not just any Horsea, the same one from before, my friend.

I hear volunteers exhale in relief. "It looks like none are injured, just some scrapes and bruises." says one. "They'll be good to go in less than an hour." Says another. I'm not relieved. I'm looking at Horsea, and it looks like some of his fins are ripped, and his nozzle has swollen and been misshapen from the net it was jammed against. A volunteer kneels next to me.

"This looks really serious. He's in a horrible state, the poor thing. He needs medical attention soon." The volunteer wraps Horsea in a blanket.

"My mother is a healer. She'll know what to do. I live in Marsillian Town, ten minutes by car. I can take Horsea there"

"That'd be amazing! This poor guy needs a lot of help. I don't think he'll make it through the night otherwise. Get an officer to drive you home. Good luck!" I quickly pick up the little bundle of blankets, and run off to the policewoman. I whisper and cheer up Horsea, and seeing the faintest sign of recognition gives me hope.

"Officer! I need your help. This Horsea is in critical condition, and I need to get home so my mother can treat him. She's Susan from Marsillian, you know, the healer?" The officer immediately snaps into action. We load up my bike into the trunk of a van, get into the seats, and start driving. Kima sits close to Horsea, conversing quietly with him. The police woman practically guns it and soon we're flying through the night, hopefully in time for Horsea.

After a few minutes of driving, we arrive back in Marsillian Town. We still haven't slowed down and our sirens are blaring. I can tell some of our older neighbours won't be too happy, this late at night. We pull up into my driveway where my mom is already racing towards the car. She must've been waiting in the living room for me to come home.

"Officer, what is the meaning of this? Why is my son with you? Did he do something wrong?" She seems almost panicked. She's probably never prepared to deal with this situation before. It's probably hard to imagine me committing an offense.

"No ma'am. I'm afraid it's worse." Says Officer Jenny. "There's been an illegal fishing incident off on Route 1. Your son and Simon arrived at the road block just in time for this Horsea to be found. Luckily, your son was there to tell us about your healing skills."

"Please Mom, Horsea needs help. He might not make it." I say desperately.

"Bring him inside to the kitchen. Get me the plastic bin and fill it up with about a foot of water." She rushes inside.

"If it's all right, I'll return to the wreck. They need all the help they can get. I'll visit in the morning to check on Horsea. Thank you for all your help, Michael." Officer Jenny gets into the van and backs out of the driveway.

Simon is getting onto his bike. "Yeah, my dad is going to be pretty worried, I'd better get home soon and sleep. Tomorrow's another big day for us. But hey, meet up with me at Cypress Labs the day after tomorrow, say twelve-ish? I'm willing to postpone our journey enough for Horsea to recover. I don't mind. Hey, more training for me!"

We quickly follow. Kima seems to be in no rush, plodding about, sniffing everything. She doesn't feel the urgency of the situation. Once inside, I put Horsea down on the counter island. I then go to the basement where I fill up the bin with the water as instructed. I run back upstairs, where my mom is waiting. We gently transfer Horsea into the water, where he lies on the bottom. My mom begins to crush up herbs. I recognize them as Camomile and Sage, to relax Horsea. She drops them into his water, and she gently swirls the water with a spoon to get the herbs to mix.

The next thing she does is examine Horsea's wounds. She slowly goes from injury to injury, softly tracing her fingers over them.

"Our biggest concern is definitely his nozzle. Horsea are unable to function properly without them. We need to prepare a poultice."

I get out the gauze and bandages from the drawer while my mom finds the right paste from her cabinet. Mom spends a good amount of time making sure she has enough medicines and material, and it's really paying off. Mom rubs a lumpy paste into the cloth, making the room smell of plants and medicine. She brings it over to Horsea and ever so lightly applies it to Horsea's inflamed and cut nozzle. The herbs in the water must be really soothing him down, as he barely whimpers as the sensitive skin is disturbed. I feel reassured when I see him visibly relax, falling into a deep sleep in the bin.

"That's all we can do for now. His fins should heal over time, and the herbs should take care of his minor cuts. He'll be back to normal in under three weeks." She seems relieved as she takes a seat at the dining room table. "But after that… Who knows?" She looks over at me. "This isn't the first time you've met Horsea, not at the wreck?"

"I met him on the way to Cypress today. Simon and I were feeding him some snacks, and then we scared of a Sharpedo that scared the Pokémon. I promised I'd see him later in the day. Or heck, maybe catch him after I got pokeballs. But now, in his condition, he's too weak to battle, and won't be for a while."

"Michael. Horsea is too weak _right now_. If he goes back to the sea, he'll be preyed on. He'll be safer on land. There's nowhere to keep him here. He needs to have a trainer, a pokeball. He's injured and weak, yes, but Michael: you never give up on a Pokémon. Train. Work. Exercise. Get stronger. He needs you. Journey with him. Battle. With your guidance, he might even become one of the strongest Pokémon in the region. You never know. But what I do know is that I, and Horsea, have faith in you." Boy, does she know how to motivate. She knows so much about Pokémon. That reminds me about another question that's been pressing on my mind today.

"Wait, Mom, you haven't met my partner yet. I'll go get her from outside." I disappear for a second, and then return with my fluffy Kima in my arms. "Mom, this is Kima, my Eevee."

"Well, isn't she adorable?" She starts to pet Kima, who loves the attention. "She's so soft. Amazing choice. Plenty of smart people have Eevee. Scientist love their Evolutions. Or, should I say, Eeveelutions. Get it?" She starts to giggle softly. I haven't seen her so excited in a while. The new Pokémon must really be exciting her. "I'm so proud. Your very own Pokémon. Speaking of which, remember to call your father. He'll be delighted to know you chose such a special Pokémon to Sinnoh." She sees my blank look and continues, "Sinnoh is one of very few regions to have an Ice rock and Moss rock. These rocks have strange effects on Eevee. They cause them to evolve into a Glaceon or Leafeon, the Ice-type and Grass-type Eeveelutions, respectively. Aren't Eevee exciting? So many types to choose from… Your father has a Jolteon, the Electric type. My, how I miss his Pokémon…"

"But how am I going to decide which Eeveelution to evolve Kima into? Each type has different strengths and weaknesses. And what about Kima's choice?"

"Eevee-ma?"

"Eevee will love you no matter which one you choose. She will understand. She is still going to be the same Kima after she evolves!"

"Eevee!"

"It's getting late. It's time to sleep. You, Kima and Horsea need it. Now go on! Upstairs!"


	6. Vs Geodude!

**CHAPTER VI**

I WAKE UP EARLY. I share a yawn with Kima as we slowly stretch out after the much needed sleep. Archie is asleep as usual on my carpet.

"Eevee!?" Kima is looking confused at the sight of Archie. She must not have met him last night, as he was probably completely asleep by the time I was home. It must've been at least one o'clock in the morning when we finally crawled into bed. I kick Archie playfully to get him up, and he immediately starts to sniff Kima from head to toe. Archie smells nothing wrong with the new arrival, and goes downstairs to where I can smell food from.

I introduce Kima to Archie after he leaves. "That's Archie, our family Pokémon. He's been with me since the day I was born, but he won't be coming with us."

We go downstairs to breakfast. I look towards the bin of water.

"Good, you're up." Says my mom, "Horsea is doing fine, and might be able to go with you today. His fins are still ripped, but his nozzle is healing amazingly. Take him outside and see what he's capable of later. Hey, you might be surprised." She lays out two plates of eggs and bacon. She gives one to Kima to eat on the floor in a silver dish. She starts eating like she hasn't eaten for days. Well, to be fair, she didn't have dinner. Mom hands me some vitamin-enriched Pokémon food for Horsea. I begin hand feeding him piece by piece, and he's loving it. He starts getting more active until he finally gives up on waiting for me to give him to the food and just eats it directly out of my hand. He finishes soon after.

"Wow! You're doing great! One night and he's back to his old self!" I exclaim. He's soon zipping around his bin, which has barely enough water for him. I see how cramped he is, and decide it's time for an upgrade.

"Horsea, you look amazing. How would you like t0 get out of this bin, and come travel the world with Kima and me? We'd love to have you, and you'd get super strong!"

"Sea! Sea! Horsea!" squeals Horsea. He jumps right into my arms, but quickly falls back into his water. "Horsea…" he moans as his sensitive fins flare up in pain.

"Baby steps little Horsea," says my mom as she rushes back with more tea leaves and some bandages. She ties his fins up nicely, and puts the leaves in. "There, there… Michael, this is exactly what you need to watch out for. The moment his fins flare up like that, you need to put him in some water, add the leaves, and bandage him up again. Same goes with his nozzles, just add a poultice to the bandage. He should be fine, however, in a week." She brings me a small kit with a medical red cross on it. "This is your Horsea Kit. Everything he needs is in it, and a Pokémon center should have refills for everything. Do not lose it, or I will hunt you down," she says with a threatening glare. She also pulls out a weird ball, with blue patterns and waves on the bottom half.

"Carry Horsea in this pokeball. This Sea-ball was made specifically for sea Pokémon, and will make him extra comfortable. I found it earlier."

I take the pokeball and press the button. The clasp opens, and a red haze surrounds Horsea. He disappears into the pokeball, and after a couple of seconds, I hear a click, meaning Horsea was caught. I bring out my Pokedex and check his data.

HORSEA, THE DRAGON POKEMON. IT'S BIG, DEVELOPED FINS MOVE RAPIDLY, ALLOWING IT TO SWIM BACKWARD WHILE STILL FACING FORWARD.

My mom and I both look at each other in confusion. I notice that my "Seen" and "Recorded" increase from 5 to 6 and 1 to 2, respectively.

"The DRAGON Pokémon? How is that possible?" I say with a blank look on my face.

"I don't know, but I bet if you train him well like I said…" She says condescendingly.

Do I really need to defend myself? "It's not that I don't want him with me, it's just he's really weak and training is going to be quite impossible."

"Just do it. No arguing with me! He's going to be great, I can tell, but get some training in soon. Maybe start easy, like with a type advantage. Go see Simons father, I bet he has tons of rock or ground Pokémon."

I wave a quick goodbye, and rush off to Simon's house. I'm there in a few minutes, with Kima following shortly behind. I knock on the door, and Simon opens it.

"Hey Michael! What are you here for? We don't leave again 'till tomorrow," he says.

"No Simon, not yet. I need to talk to your dad. I have Horsea with me here, and he's my Pokémon now, and I need to train him. I was wondering if your dad was willing to battle with a rock type."

"Uh, sure!" he turns around. "DAD! YOU HAVE A CHALLENGER!" he screams into the house.

"Tell them to go round back!" comes a shout from inside.

"Uh, you heard him," says Simon.

We both go around to the yard. The garden is completely wild. There's a couple ponds and trees everywhere. The ground is pretty rough, with roots and bushes everywhere. I realize that it will be hard for Horsea to get clear shots from a pond. The ponds are a deep blue, darker than Horsea. Could I use this to my advantage?

"Behold, challenger, the field!" booms a voice from the porch above. Looking down at us is Simon's dad. "Oh, it's just you Michael. I knew it was just a matter of time before you challenged me. Simon and I have already battled, and if you're anything like him, then I know you're great."

"Thanks, but I can't do a full battle right now. I have this new Pokémon, a Horsea, and he's kind of weak, and since you train rock types... I thought…" I stammer.

"That I could help you train? Sure, sure… but I won't just let you win! I'm still going to try to crush you! But I won't use my strongest Pokémon. I don't want to injure Horsea any more than it needs to be." He bursts out laughing. I can't help but shift nervously at the joke.

"Oh, come on, Michael! Have some fun! If you're not going to lighten up, then what's the point? Geodude!" He calls at the Pokémon in the yard. Up shoots a rock-like Pokémon, a Geodude. I've seen Simon's dad's Pokémon collection a million times, so I'm really familiar with them. Geodude are sturdy rock type Pokémon, so Azul shouldn't use any physical moves. Not that it matters much. Horsea is still weak, and he should have only special moves. Now that I think about it, I haven't actually taken his moves in my Pokedex. I quickly scan his Pokeball. It says that Horsea knows Bubble, a weak water-type move, and Focus Energy. I have absolutely no clue what Focus Energy could possibly do, but it might come in handy. I pull out my Pokedex:

"GEODUDE, THE ROCK POKEMON. IT CLIMBS MOUNTAIN PATHS USING ONLY THE POWER OF ITS ARMS. BECAUSE THEY LOOK JUST LIKE BOULDERS LINING PATHS, HIKERS MAY STEP ON THEM WITHOUT NOTICING." Geodude are Rock and Ground type Pokémon, and evolve into Graveler. My counter goes from 6 to 7.

"Come on out Horsea!" I say as I release Horsea near one of the ponds. A ray of red light extends to the water, and in a second, Horsea is swimming around. "Horsea!" He squeals happily as he swims around.

"He's a little too happy for a battle, don't you think?" shouts Simon from the porch. _Great, _I think to myself, _another commentary courtesy of Simon. _Nevertheless, the battle begins. I don't wait for any more criticism. It's time to test Horsea out. Focus Energy is a new move for me, so I might as well use it first. "Horsea, use Focus Energy!" Horsea immediately begins to glow. I notice how everyone in the yard grows silent, and I hope that this will buy time. Kima is nervously pacing behind me, anxious to see the battle.

I still have no idea what Focus Energy does, but I feel like I'm about to find out. However, before Horsea can power up completely, Simon's dad gives his Geodude a signal. They must be really connected for him to be able to command his Pokémon with a single movement. He twirls his finger, and the Geodude curls up in a ball, turning completely into rock. He spins on the spot. I realize this must be Defense Curl, meaning that Geodude is upping his strength. I hope that Focus Energy actually does something. I decide it's time to use Bubble before the Geodude can attack us. If I can just throw off his Defense Curl, his attack might not be as powerful.

"Horsea, use Bubble now!" Horsea answers, and his glow transfers to his nozzle, and then he shoots off a group of glowing spheres. The spheres fly extremely fast, which must mean that Focus Energy powers up moves and increases the power. This will definitely be helpful in our battles. The attack hits the Geodude square in the face. The Geodude skids back, pushed by the power of the bubbles. _Whoa, my Horsea can do all _that_?!_ I think to myself as I see the Geodude start to twitch, completely weakening.

"Get up Geodude, and use Rock Throw!" shouts Simon's Dad, his cocky grin replaced with determination. The Geodude does just that. He crushes his fists into the ground, until he has crunched up enough of a rock to through. The jagged edges of the boulder scare me the most. _One hit from that, and Horsea is done for,_ I realize with a bit of terror. _But that's only if it hits, _I realize finally.

"Horsea, Dodge that Boulder!"

"Horsea!" He answers. Geodude throws his boulder. It careens throw the air, straight towards the pond. It flies incredibly fast, showing just how strong his Geodude is. I fear that Horsea won't make it out of the way in time. Right as the boulder closes in, Horsea soars across the water, over to the other edge of the pond. It doesn't matter. The boulder splashes straight into the pond, causing a tremendous wave to race across the surface. Horsea gets lifted up with the wave, and is cleanly deposited out of the water, onto the lawn.

"Great! You did it Horsea!" I then notice that Horsea is struggling around. He looks fine, just he can barely move. "Horsea, get back into the water! You'll be safe!" I plead. Horsea can't do it. He's helpless. I begin sprinting my way over to him, to help him.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" I hear from Simon's Dad. "You're not allowed to interfere in a battle!" He laughs almost gleefully from across the yard. I realize now that Geodude can easily close in and finish Horsea off.

"I can't just let him flop there! He'll get hurt even worse than before!" I'm so frustrated. I can't believe he's doing this to me. He knows just how badly injured Horsea is. This is all my fault.

"That's battling for you!" He shrugs. "Geodude, use Rollout!" Geodude once again rolls himself up into a ball. _Wait, isn't that Defense Curl? _I wonder to myself as Geodude powers up. _That can't be. Defense Curl is used to curl extra tightly and endure hits better… But what if you're the one hitting? That would make it extra powerful… Which is why he used it in the first place! He wanted to power up, so that when he hit us, it would be a clean knock-out. But he couldn't, because we were in the water. He needed to use Rock Throw to weaken us, or get us out of the water… Straight into a Rollout!_

"Horsea, stand your ground! Meet him with an extra powerful Bubble! Show him how strong you are!"

"Horsea! Horsea!" is my response. He manages to sit up somewhat, as much as a Water Pokémon can. I do admit, he holds his composure well. He doesn't so much as flinch as the Geodude comes rumbling towards him, spinning like a top, stirring up leaves and dust in his wake. I think to myself "_Now_!" as Horsea unleashes his Bubble. These bubbles seem different. They're more powerful, and bigger, despite not being charged with Focus Energy. _Strange, _it_ must be a new move or something._

The Geodude is knocked completely askew. His whole charge is reversed, and he goes tumbling into a tree, into which he crashes with a final "Dude," before passing out. Simon comes running down, and takes the defeated Pokémon inside. He has a sort of pale look on his face, as if he's worried about my win. I can't blame him. I haven't lost a battle yet, although I am sort of worried myself about that. I don't want to become completely devastated when I finally lose a battle, or even worse, not be able to heal my Pokémon well enough if I'm between cities or in a forest of some sort. Those will have to wait.

"Way to go, champ! You did it! You beat me, a seasoned trainer, and your Pokémon learned a new move! Oh, yeah, I saw that too. Your Hosea learnt Bubblebeam. It's basically a more powerful Bubble. Your Horsea is going to be great, don't worry." As I turn to leave, to make my way back home to rest with Horsea and hopefully do some last minute shopping and organizing before I really leave tomorrow, he adds, "You know, Michael. I didn't mean to be so harsh about the rules of battling. I understand too what it feels like to protect your Pokémon, but you just need to trust your Pokémon's abilities more often, and you won't need to as much. So just take some risks is all I'm asking, okay? Bye now!"

I walk back towards town in the late morning sun, carrying Horsea and congratulating him. Kima trots along easily, chattering away as well. I smile to myself, wondering how many other adventures and battles await us, and we're only on our second day. Yet again, I can't wait until tomorrow, even though we're only halfway through the day.


	7. Getting Ready!

**CHAPTER VII**

AFTER RELAXING IN THE PARK AT THE HEART OF TOWN, I decide it's better to get going and do something somewhat productive. I decide that since I haven't told my dad yet about Kima, and Horsea, which I now call Azul, because of his great shade of blue, now would be a good time to call him. Sinnoh is what, a 6 hour time difference? That means it must be about 7 pm over there. Actually, 8pm because of the whole Sunnyshore city being further east and in a different time zone. I pull out my Xtransceiver and pull up my dad. His contact picture is him with his Luxray in front of our house, which I took about 3 months ago on his last visit. It rings for a couple of seconds before he pick up.

"Hello? Volkner here! Who is it?" I can barely hear him over the background noise. I can hear waves breaking and Wingull cawing. Behind him, I see tons of ships, from catamarans to container ships. This can only be Sunnyshore Harbour.

"It's Michael! How's the gym?"

"Good, actually, I just came back from the Battle Frontier with Flint" Flint is an incredibly strong Fire type trainer, a member of the Sinnoh Elite Four. My dad is good friends with him, as he is the strongest Gym Leader. Flint is usually the one who takes him places, seeing as my dad gets kind of bored waiting for strong trainers. It's great to see him out and about. "We battled these two kids, a bit older than you, who were really strong. They both beat me before, and one of them is the new Sinnoh champion. He practically saved the world on Mt. Coronet, and defeated three legendary Pokémon, not to mention thwarted an entire criminal organization with his friends. He's really quite something. It makes me want you to do things greater than that!"

"Umm... thanks dad? Look, if you just want to lecture me, I'll put you on hold until you calm down, like you do to mom" Despite wanting to talk to him more often, he can be infuriating.

"Okay, fine!" He says with a laugh. "Now what do you want to tell me. I need to get back to training, to crush all the other trainers who'll come by now that the rolling blackouts are over."

"Well, yesterday was kind of important. I meant to call you earlier, but we were busy."

"Your mother and I talked yesterday, and Clary was at school… so what happened? Who do you mean by 'we'?" He sounds genuinely confused by now, and even wary.

"Well, Simon and I went to Cypress Labs, you know, the professor? Well, I'll make this quick. Kima, Azul, come into the picture!" I lift Azul up as Kima comes trotting up to me. My dad's eyes light up as soon as he sees them. "So here's my Eevee, Kima, given to me by Cypress, and here's Azul, my Horsea, who I actually met before Kima."

"They're amazing!" He looks so keen on them, his eyes are completely lit up. "But they're not electric types…" He pauses for my reaction. "I'm just kidding! Well, Kima could change that anyway… I'll tell you what. I'll send a Thunderstone to you right now, and you'll get it about two days, and then we'll have matching Pokémon!"

"Actually dad, that's what I need to ask you. Do you know the two Sinnoh Eeveelutions? Leafeon and Glaceon?"

"Of course! So I'm guessing you want me to send you a chip to you?" Well, there goes the surprise for Kima. Kima looks up at me with wide eyes, interested in the new information about her evolution.

"Yeah, could you get Candice to chip a little piece off for me? It doesn't need to be much, just enough to evolve her. Please dad? It'll mean the world to me."

"She does owe me for the little incident at the last inter-gym tourney." Candice is the Ice type Gym Leader of Sinnoh, and she's the second strongest leader. Near Snowpoint City, where she lives, is a large ice rock. "But you need to promise me this, Michael: Get me an Electric type! There's tons in Takita! I'll help you." He starts to get really excited. _Oh, brother. He's going to prattle on for hours_, I think. "There's Electabuzz, Pikachu, Blitzle, Mareep, Electrike, Magnemite, Dedenne, Emolga, Chinchou, Joltik… The list goes on forever!" He's not even out of breath. "Speaking of Pokémon, any ideas for the rest of your team? Remember, balance is key. Make sure to cover all the types, and play to your advantage! Now, you have a Water type, and a Normal, make that Ice type… So what does that make you weak to? Let's go Michael, think it through."

_Well, they cover a lot of each other's weaknesses. _"Kima is going to be weak to Fighting, Rock, Steel and Fire, but Horsea covers the Rock and Fire. Kima then covers the Grass with her Ice type attacks, leaving only Electric, Fighting, and Steel." Time to take this one step further. "So I should look into a Ground or Flying type, to counter those."

"Very good, Michael! I'm impressed! And only your second day? Kima and Azul are in great hands!"  
"Thanks, Dad!" I beam with the praise. I've never actually been able to show off much to him, considering that everything. I do is pretty lost through a camera. I don't mind; all of his visits are filled with my accomplishments, whether I like it or not. "Hey dad, when's your next visit?" He can plainly see the mischievous grin on my face.

"Already looking for a battle, huh? Well, normally, I'd make you wait until you have seven badges, but I'll make an exception. Call me about a week before you're battling your third gym leader, and we'll meet up. Make sure you're ready!"

"Okay Dad! See you then! And for the Ice rock, I'm leaving tomorrow from Marsillian, so can you have it delivered to Desmos Town?"

"Sure thing! Bye Michael! Talk soon!" He hangs up, and then image fades. Kima climbs over me on her way to go back to playing in the grass. I scratch her belly as she purrs quietly on her back. I hold Azul in my arms as he sprays Kima with little jets of water. Kima doesn't mind. Its hot outside, and we need to cool down.

"You know what Azul? I haven't actually healed you yet. Let's get on that" I start to pack up my stuff. I'm not worried about his health, considering he never got a direct hit in the battle, besides being flopped onto the ground pretty hard. He's in ridiculously good condition considering his recent trauma. I decide using any of my new medicine from the lab so I don't run out when I need them.

We make our way towards the Pokemart, where a crowd of people are gathering. They seem to discussing a new poster. There's never been any posters on our Pokemart before, so I figure this must be important. From here, all I can see are the colours: bright blue and red dominate the poster. As I approach, the lettering comes more clearly:

"AMMOS TOWN POKEMON TOURNAMENT: RENTAL EDITION!"

This is enough to lock my attention. A tournament? Why would they advertise it here in Marsillian? That's highly unusual. There's not enough trainers in Marsillian to make it worth it. Most of the time, we find out about events in other towns through the internet or phone calls. This tournament must be important, then. I don't like the whole "rental" concept. I barely got introduced to Pokémon, and I won't even be able to use them? Sounds strange. As I approach, I see Nancy sitting apart, and she waves me over.

"So you finally showed up to show me your Pokémon, eh?" She says with a grin. She's sitting on one of her small wicker chairs on the deck, leisurely observing the throng of people around the poster.

"Well, after everything you've done for me over the years, I owe you this."

"At least!" She chuckles. She reaches down to pick up Kima as she trots over. "Now, who's this little love-muffin? An Eevee? Great choice, Michael, you'll do great with him."

"Well, um, she's a she, and her name is Kima. We're going to evolve her into a Glaceon soon, and she'll be super strong." I hold Azul out in my arms. "This Horsea here is Azul." Azul squints happily.

"Oh, believe me, I know. You think an old lady like me doesn't gossip?" She chuckles again. "The moment I opened my shop I heard all about him. Some fishing accident? Sounds suspicious if you ask me. I'm glad to see the little guy is fine, and in great hands." She smiles as she leads me into the store.

"So, what do you want?" She gestures to the wide rows of merchandise in the store. "Pick whatever you want, and I'll get your mom to pay later. We also got new stock in this morning, so you have first pick. Go on!"

I immediately go towards the section titled "BATTLING". Here I hope to find useful items to help Kima and Azul get stronger. Considering how small our town is, I'm amazed we have a department for this at all. I scan the shelves, looking for the shelf of TMs, or Technical Machines. Technical machines are the special training kits that are used by trainers to teach their Pokémon new moves. I remember the TM Samantha gave to Simon, and I wonder if he managed to teach Shadow Ball to his Abra. He might have taught it to Pix as well, for all I know. The kits are colour-coded by the type of the move: red means Fighting, orange is Fire, yellow is Electric, Grass is green and so on so on… Underneath the types, there are one of two symbols: Two rings on a dark purple background indicates a Special type move, which means the user doesn't necessarily need to make contact with the target. The opposite is a yellow eight-pointed star on red.

Both my Pokémon are more Special oriented, so I look for pale blue and navy blue to indicate Ice and Water types. I scan the names on the back of the kits, searching for a familiar name. The moves are relatively weak and aren't all that powerful, but for a beginner trainer, they're perfect. Even if I were to buy the most powerful move in existence, my Pokémon are too weak to use them to their potential. I want some medium powered moves, preferably with added effects. I scan the shelves more and more, looking and looking, until I finally see a Water type kit that interests me. The label says it's the move Scald. It also says medium-power, which might be perfect for Azul. I grab it and continue browsing the shelves. After row on row of endless kits, I finally find the Ice type area. I scan the shelves, looking for the perfect one. Eventually I stumble on an older kit, slightly dusty. It's the last one in its row. I pick it up and brush off the dust. It says the move is Ice Beam. Ice beam is a powerful Ice move, and is apparently difficult to master, even for a powerful Pokémon. I should try to teach it to Kima once she evolves, and then she'll be able to dominate any battle we get into.

I head back to the counter where Nancy is waiting. "Do you want any pokeballs? I have them on sale!" She says from across the counter. She begins to examine the kits. I take a look at the pokeballs. "Ice beam, eh? Haven't seen that move in a while, but it might be even longer before it can be used. And then, when Kima evolves, she might not even master it…" She trails off as she sees that I'm absorbed in the selection of pokeballs contained within the cabinet in the counter. I see regular Pokeballs, Great Balls, Premier Balls, Luxury Balls and many other different types… I might as well pick some up to make my Pokémon more comfortable. I decide on a Dive Ball for Azul and a Luxury Ball for Kima. Dive Balls are great for Water types, and Luxury Balls are sure to keep Pokémon cozy.

"Is that it, Michael?"

"Just a few more things: a Luxury Ball and three pokeballs. Then that's it, I promise" I say with a smile. She rings me up, and the total comes to $150. I clearly don't have that on me, so my mom will settle up later. As I turn to leave, Nancy calls from over the counter.

"Michael? Take a flyer for the tournament on your way out. You'll need it!" I look for the flyer stack on the counter. I take one and head out, Kima shortly behind. I pick up my bike from the park where I left it earlier, and start my way home.

Once home, I help my family cook dinner. We eat together with just some small talk, nothing important. My Pokémon eat near me, one in a tub and one out of a bowl. After dinner, I head up to my room, where Archie is waiting for me. He's dozing next to the bed until Kima tackles him, and they both start wrestling playfully. I take Azul up to my bed, and take out my backpack. I grab the two new Pokeballs that I bought, and then the TM kit for Scald. I put it aside as I take up the Luxury Ball.

"Kima, come over here." She jumps up onto the bed, as Archie lies back down, calm without the little bugger. I tap the Ball gently onto her head, and they both glow red. The glow fades, and it's done: Kima has transferred pokeballs. As soon as she's done the transfer, she jumps off the bed, and right onto Archie. He isn't as into it anymore, so Kima eventually settles down and lies next to him. I open up the kit.

The TM for Scald is made up of an instruction booklet and a CD, presumably an instructional video. It's too late to do any of the practical training that's in the booklet, so I decide that we'll watch the video tonight, and then continue the training on the road tomorrow. I take out the disc and load it up into my TV on the dresser across from the bed. It starts playing, and goes straight into clips of Pokémon and trainers using the move Scald.

"Wartortle, use Scald!"

"Buizel, finish them with Scald"

"Use Scald now, Dragalge!"

Echoes all the trainers shown on the screen. All the Pokémon shoot a torrent of water toward their opponents. They aren't so lucky: in every single clip, Scald is a direct hit. The Pokémon are blown away, and some are even left immobile, glowing red and writhing. This gets my attention, despite my exhaustion. _Scald must leave the target burned, _I think to myself, _Perfect for Azul. _Scald looks great, and it should be great with Azul.

The narrator and the movie continue on, giving instructions on how to use it, how to prepare yourself, and even how to counter it. I can't pay attention any more after half an hour. I keep forcing my eyes open, trying to hold on, to learn from the video. Kima has long since crept onto the bed, and has curled up beside me, fast asleep. After a while, I can't help myself anymore. I slowly drift off to sleep, and the last things I see are my clock on my nightstand, displaying 3:37 am, and Azul, gazing intently at the screen, unmoving and alert. _He'll fall asleep as soon as he realizes how tired he is. His only fuel is adrenaline. _And then I'm floating.


	8. Three's a Crowd!

**CHAPTER VIII**

"MICHAEL?" I hear from somewhere deep within my dream. I wasn't really dreaming; it was more of a weird kind of floating. I slowly turn over, groaning in protest as the harsh light filters in through the curtains. "Michael! Wake up! We're going to be late!" It's Simon of all people, all dressed and ready to go.

"Huh? Wha-what time is it?" I bolt up in panic, realizing that I must have slept in. I look around the room for Kima and Azul. I know they were both out of their pokeballs when I fell asleep. Instead, all I find are clothes and other items strewn about.  
"It's 10 am, dammit, and we need to leave if we're going to make it anywhere today!" Simon shouts, extremely annoyed at me. I'm still confused as to where my Pokémon have gotten to.

"Wh-where is Kima?" I manage to get out.

"Everyone's downstairs, waiting for you. Now let's get going before I get physical!" He pauses for a second, then turns back again with a grin. "Oh, and there's pancakes"

I jump out of the bed, only in my boxers. I almost run down the stairs then and there, but Simon now has my attention to continue his lecture.

"For God's sake, put some clothes on, and then get yourself organized. You have five minutes! Get going, now!" He shuts the door behind him as he leaves, and I'm left alone. I quickly get dressed, into comfortable black sweatpants and a turquoise t-shirt, perfect for a cool day like today in early September. A quick look outside tells me that it won't rain today, so I keep my raincoat in my backpack, as well as pack my new items away carefully.

My backpack is a large hiking bag with tons of straps and pockets - perfect for Pokémon trainers. The backpack is grey and teal on the straps and the main body, respectively. It has a large main compartment where I'll keep my overnight gear, like our tent and clothes on the bottom, and then my medicine and care kits on top. This compartments are waterproof, guaranteeing everything will stay dry no matter the weather this coming autumn. In front of the main bag, further from where my back will be, there is a smaller, thinner compartment where I keep the items I'll need at a moment's notice, like my jacket and pokeballs. On the waist strap are small harnesses for Pokeballs and a pouch for my Xtransceiver and headphones. I packed everything ahead of time, so I just need to rearrange my pack so my new items fit.

That done, I put the pack on and make my way downstairs. The back isn't that heavy considering the amount of stuff I have packed away. I teeter awkwardly down the stairs because of the awkward bag, but I make it down all right.

"Look who decided to 'grace us with his presence' at the table!" calls my mom from the living room. She's sitting on the couch, already curled up with her tea in one hand, and her book in the other. Her favourite blanket is on her knees already; she isn't planning on getting up for at least an hour.

"Simon said there was pancakes. I don't get up for anything, you know."

"Well, I'm going to eat the last two, so I guess you're as hopeless as ever…" Clary has both pancakes impaled on her fork, slowing bringing them to her mouth with an exaggerated movement.

"Not today, Clary, we're too far behind thanks to the dolt you call your brother. Hocus, teleport they back onto the plate we set out for Michael!" Simon had Abra on the bench beside him, playing. I hear a small pop as he disappears, reappears, taking my pancakes right off the fork and then putting them down onto my plate after teleporting once again.

"Thanks, Abra! Or, should I call you Hocus, now that Simon finally decided on what to call you?" I scratch Abra lightly behind the ears as he teleports back to Simon's side. As I sit down, I notice a little brown lump underneath the table, sitting on a bigger red blob, looking up at me with wide eyes. She purrs delight when I start petting her with my foot. She leaps up onto the bench beside me and begins to rub herself again my side, urging me to continue stroking her side. I pet her and begin shoveling the pancakes into my mouth.

"So here's our plan, Michael," says Simon as he sits down beside me and unfurls a map of Takita. "We're here, in Marsillian Town. We're both taking the gym challenge, right? Combine that with seeing every Pokémon in the region, and we have a hell of a lot to do." I suggest we go around Takita bay, like this" He draws out our itinerary with his finger, sweeping up the south coast of Takita, around the bay at Inari pass, and then out into the Golden Triangle. That covers already half the region, and at the slow rate we'll be going at, it will take months. "Through that path," he continues, "we'll end up facing four of the gyms, and then from the Triangle we can keep going north, and then west, sweeping down the peninsula, finishing the gyms, and hopefully our Pokedex. We'll end up right across from Desmos Town, where we'll find something to take us across the mouth of Takita bay." I don't argue. I know that he's been planning this for weeks, and that each decision is properly thought out and accurate.

"And I'm guessing you already know which Pokémon you need to catch?" I say jokingly with a mouth full of pancakes.

"Not exactly," he answers seriously. _He must have thought I was mocking him. _"But having general types in mind and having a balanced Pokémon team is the most important thing when it comes to battling." He stops, realizing what he just said, in front of my mom, who has dedicated her entire life to helping Pokémon. He hastily continues. "Besides care and bonding, of course! But I didn't want to mention that because no matter which Pokémon I train, we're going to be close and I'll care for every single one of them, no exceptions!" He laughs nervously after his swift recovery.

"You better," warns my mom, not unkindly, from the couch. She goes right back to reading. Simon prattles on, almost breathless after his rants. "Thoughts on the plan?" He looks around the room. "Anyone?"

My mom puts down her coffee and turns towards us at the table. "Simon, honey, how old is that map?" She says sweetly, and I can tell that she's about to embarrass us.

"I think about five years, at least that's what the label said from the shelf in my dad's office. Why do you ask? Nothing could have changed much since then, could it?"

"Well, one things for sure: you're missing something. Have you heard of the, uhm, _little, _project going on in Desmos Town for about two years now?" I can't wait for him to finally realize what she is getting at. She does this from time to time, putting on her most condescending tone and making us realize how ignorant we are.

"Oh, yeah, aren't they building the bridge there? I remember now, one of the largest in the world, and isn't it supposed to be tall enough to let even the largest boat into Takita Bay. The Takita Bay Bridge… What about it? Why do you ask?" _Any minute now… _I think to myself, as Simon stands there, still thinking. _Even I've figured it up by now. _He suddenly bursts into action.

"There we go," says my mom softly from her couch, and goes right back to reading.

"_No! Not possible!_" He screeches. He is utterly shocked at his oversight. He immediately sets back to work, fumbling over the dining table and his map. He's tracing lines, squinting at place names, double checking notes on the side. We leave him alone as he mumbles to himself absently, completely absorbed in the map. My mom just plainly gets up, takes a grey marker, and draws a line connecting Desmos Town to Kanotia City. Without even a word, she walks upstairs. I hear her footsteps through the floorboards, indicating that she's in her bedroom. She stays only moments before coming downstairs again, to where Simon has relaxed and is taking deep breaths.

"Simon! Calm down and listen to me for a minute. Michael, you too." In her arms are two small packages that she sets down on the table, beside the map. She gives them out to us. "Go on, open them! Think of them as a little 'going away' present!"

We begin to unwarp the packages, not sure what we'll find. We end up finishing at the same time, and Simon's face lights up when he sees that my mom actually gave us two new maps of Takita. It's this year's edition, so the Takita Bay Bridge will be included. Simon opens it up, ecstatic at having a better map. His father is exactly the same.

After we finish breakfast, Simon tells me that he's already stressed enough from the upcoming trip, and that we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it. Literally. The whole issue has blown over, and we're finally clear to start our adventure. We put everything away and my mom gives all of our Pokémon a final checkup before giving us the all-clear, even for Azul. With that, we're clear to leave. We run down my lawn towards our bikes, backpacks teetering. We mount our bikes, and set off out of town on the East road, which will eventually become Takita Route 01. My mom and Clary wave goodbye from our porch, as well as Simon's dad when we pass Simon's house. Both of the parents We passed this way two days ago, so we don't spend any extra time than needed, just whip through the forest, our Pokémon squealing with delight in the baskets. We pass by the wreckage of the ship, or more what's they couldn't clean up. There's just little smudges of paint on the rocks below, and some of the rocks have been chipped away. _Good,_ I think to myself, _get rid of it all. Wash away the evil._

In no time at all, we see the familiar compound open up before us. We definitely cut a full hour off our trip, taking only one hour and half. I can't help finding how ridiculous it was that we took almost three hours last time, when we just did the trip so much faster. We end up in the courtyard again. Simon obviously has something on his mind, more than likely _someone_.

"Hey, Michael, uh, do-do you think we could stop here for a while? I don't know, maybe we could just say hello, you know?" It's almost pathetic seeing him like this, nervous and uncertain, completely unlike his normal self. For the sake of his self-esteem, I'll help him through this.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Let's get inside, and we'll figure out something to do, maybe they'll remember us from two days ago? Let's get their attention again!" I wink at him, to let him know that we'll try to find Sam. I lead him into the lobby of the main building, where we entered last time. Kima is trotting beside me, Simon has Abra on his shoulder and Pix in his arms.

"Samantha, wait!" we hear from across the room, coming from a familiar man: Cypress.

"I can't- I'm sorry Professor, but I'm in a hurry! I'll call you when I find them! Hoothoot and Ralts, hurry up!" hurls Samantha, turning backwards. In her haste, she isn't paying attention to what lies in front of her. She careens across the room, oblivious.

A strangled _Samantha _is all Simon and I manage before she bashes into us, knocking all of us to the floor. Kima manages to jump out of the way in time, Abra teleports, but Pix goes flying. Suddenly, a pink aura surrounds her as Kirlia levitates her with telekinesis, gently lowering her to the floor. Pix runs over to Kirlia and hugs her legs in gratitude. Simon, Samantha and I are left to recuperate by ourselves.

"Professor? I think I found them," Samantha says feebly while she gets up. She got winded, but no serious damage, like the rest of us.

"Yes, Samantha, you did absolutely great," He says dryly. He turns to Simon and me and says, "Boys! I hadn't expected to see you again so soon. By that, I mean I thought that you'd be already gone, gone off on your adventures! That's why I was sending Samantha off today to meet up with you guys. I'll let her explain the situation herself as you guys get going." He starts to walk away, back into the complex. "Samantha has my number! Be safe!" He tosses over his shoulder as he leaves.

We've all recovered enough for sentences. We take this opportunity to sit down in the lobby's seating area. Our Pokémon all jump onto the couches as well, but Kima stays on my lap. Kirlia and Pix keep together, almost mimicking Kima and I. I can't keep the silence any longer.

"So…Sam… Why exactly did you feel the need to try and kill us? It's great you're going to travel with us, really… but-" I trail off.

"It's sudden, I know, but you know how Cypress gets…" She sees the blank looks on our faces. "…Right. You wouldn't know how demanding he is. Anyways, he wanted me to become a field agent and travel the region, and study Pokémon. He didn't want me to go alone, what with the whole accident that just happened… You know more about that than I do, so I'll ask later. So we both agreed, 'hey, why not go with Simon and Michael, the boys who just started their journeys?' By the time we arranged everything, we realized you'd be long gone, but you two snails proved us wrong."

Simon speaks up now, asking the question that's been on both of our minds, "What would've happened if you didn't catch us? With the bridge and all that? We could have gone in two completely different directions!"

"And that's why I was in such a rush to catch up before you guys got to Ammos Town. But can you imagine what it would be like if I missed you, Simon? I'd be completely alone, and a failure to the professor." She just sighs, and we look out the window. After a few moments, Kima's gentle yanking on my sleeve snaps me out of the trance, reminding me of our trip. Kima jumps off the couch at the same time as me, and I remind the others.

"Guys, shouldn't we maybe, uhm, get going? Don't get me wrong, it's great to have you here, but we should start our actual journey before dark, and we're not getting any younger. We have tons of time to talk when we make camp." I say this as gently as possible, because we aren't very familiar with Samantha yet. In time, we'll be able to be more open to each other, and we'll get used to each other's personality. No use getting off on the wrong foot, especially since we're spending months together. Sam and Simon gather their things, and Sam recalls Kirlia, but keeps Hoothoot out, seeing as he'll be able to keep up with our pace.

We exit the lab, and get on our bikes again, make sure everyone is accounted for, and set off again at midday. We leave the other side of the courtyard, and start biking along the second half of route 01, towards Ammos town. This is the first time I've ever been east of the complex. I've explored all of the area delimited by the sea and the lab, hiking and camping with my family and Simon's, but this whole new area is unfamiliar and almost alien, every stone and tree completely different from Marsillian. I guess we're just going to have to get used to it, Simon and I. Samantha doesn't seem to be bothered at all by the scenery. It's funny, we never asked her what her hometown was. It can't be Marsillian town, as we would have seen her around town. Just another of our many questions for each other to ask when we settle down tonight. As for now, we share each other's company.

We bike along the grove of forest by the compound, surrounded by the trees on a freshly paved road. The roads from here will only become busier with each town we pass, heading towards the East. For now, the road is deserted, and will only be travelled by researchers and other people heading towards the labs for one reason or another. Up until Desmos Town, there aren't any large settlements, apart from a cottage or two. It's a great start for us, adjusting us to camping and spending the night camping.

The forest continues for a few hours before the straight line of the road finally draws close to the sea, much like where I first met Azul. The salt spray and wind over the rocks is refreshing, keeping us cool and shielded from the worst of the sun. The winding curves and shallow dips and rises in the road become repetitive after a while, lulling us into a mindless rhythm, not paying attention to anything. We don't stop for lunch or snacks, very unlike us, but the one thing that does get our attention finally is an oncoming truck, barrelling down the road, forcing us onto the shoulder of the road with its bulk. The truck passes, and suddenly, we are all too aware of how late it's getting.  
"Well, this seems as good a place as any to make camp for tonight," says Samantha as she looks around, examining the road around us.

"Good luck putting up a tent near here," replies Simon, as he kicks a stone. "The road is way too rocky, and the sea will make us miserable." He looks up ahead. I follow his gaze, where I can faintly make out a large shape against the mist, a ridge. "If we find some way onto that ridge, the trees and the hill will keep us sheltered, and we won't get run over in the middle of the night." Sam and I both nod our agreement. It's a good idea, and if anything, we need to go further.

We get back on our bikes after stretching a bit, and bike the last kilometer, looking for a way to get up onto the ridge. Finally, it's Sam who finds it, a small trail leading upwards, less steep than the rest of the hill. We stash our bikes in bushes at the foot of the climb, and bring our packs up. Hoothoot and Kima both go scouting up ahead, finding the fastest way up the trail and through the least amount of foliage. We eventually arrive at the plateau, where there's space enough for three tents, and near the southern edge of the clearing, away from the ocean, we find a log perfectly placed for an improvised table. Looking around the 'campsite', I see that it's actually a great spot for someplace random.

We immediately set to work, with each of us setting up our own tent. Simon and I share a tent, trying to save on space in our packs. Simon unloads his half and goes off to set up an eating area for dinner. We brought propane burners so we don't have to rely on campfires. In a planned campsite, there would be a fire pit, but our current place is completely untouched. Our tent is a three person, navy and fluorescent orange in colour with room enough for us, our packs and our Pokémon comfortably. Once our tent is set up, I decide to inspect the surrounding area more carefully.

Sam's tent white and lime green, with a large dome and a smaller, cylindrical entrance. It must be a three person as well, given the size of it. She got it setup quickly, and has already moved on to entering information on one of the lab's tablets. She must be outfitted with all the new, high-tech gear that the lab creates, which will no doubt come in handy. I look around. There isn't any water on the ridge, something we definitely need for dinner, and then tomorrow to fill our water bottles.

"Sam? Simon? I'm going back down to the road to see if there's any freshwater down there."

"Don't get lost!" hollers Simon from the forest, probably listening to nature calling.

"Tell me if you find anything interesting!" answers Samantha from inside her tent.

Before I descend, I take both my pokeballs for safety and the TM kit for Scald. _Scald might be our best bet for hot water, _I think to myself. Besides, the others won't mind. I don't know how much Azul learnt from the video and what I still need to teach. I pick my way down the hill, a large thermos in hand. I see the breathtaking sunset off across the bay, oranges, reds and yellows dancing across the sky in the last moments of the day. Once on the roapd, I snap a quick picture on my Xtransceiver to send to my family. Looking up, all I can see are two silhouettes standing side by side on the top of the ridge. _Great, I get to third wheel, _I realize begrudgingly.

Getting down to the sea is a bit tougher, given the jagged slope of boulders. I recall Kima into her Luxury Ball to make sure she's safe. I eventually find a small beach at the bottom, located a bit further east than our campsite. I make my way down, trying not to break my neck or lose my footing, and finally arrive at the bottom of both sets of ridges. The beach is set back a bit, with one side of boulders sweeping over on the left to partially shield the little cove.

"Azul and Kima! Let's go!" I say as I let 28them out, one onto the beach, the other into the sea. Kima immediately goes exploring, and Azul swims laps around the cove, relieved to be let out of his pokeball. "Azul! Use Bubblebeam on that rock over there! Kima, do the same with Swift!" I command as they both snap into action, eager to exercise after the day spent biking. Kima and Horsea don't waste a breath. Kima begins bouncing over the rocks on the beach, flicking her tail back and forth, but nothing happens.

"Eevee!" she shouts as she opens her maw, unleashing a slew of stars that shoot through the air towards the boulder. They explode against the surface of the boulder, sending smoke and fragments of stone everywhere. She took out a good chunk out of the boulder, leaving a jagged edge. I turn my attention to Azul, who hasn't fired off his Bubblebeam.

"Azul, is something wrong?" He has a pinched look of concentration on his face, eyes narrowed. He's curled his tail into his body, and is shuddering slightly. I'm about to rush over to him, to recall him to his pokeball and bring him back to the others for treatment. I must have asked too much of him, making him go through so much in such a short time. "Azul, I'm coming!" I shout as I prepare to jump into the ocean. He's not too far out, but I'll have to swim.

As soon as I take my shoes off, Azul does something incredible. His body uncurls, snapping into a prone position, slightly leaned forward. He seems back to normal, the only exception being he keeps his concentration. I stop dead in my tracks, waiting to see what's next. Kima runs to my side, intrigued as well. We both watch earnestly. Azul suddenly explodes into action, figuratively of course.

"AZUL!"

Out of Azul's nozzle comes a torrent of water, almost a river, pounding what's left of the boulder into smithereens, even turning some of it to sand. All I can see is the blur of the pillar of water through the mist. The explosion would carry for kilometers, bringing Sam and Simon to the edge of the bluff, looking down in concern. "Michael? Is that you? Are you all right? What happened?" They can't have seen much, being so far up and looking through the mist and twilight.

"More than fine! Be up in a few!" I shout back up at them. I turn to Azul now, utterly in shock. "Azul! That was amazing! Where did that come from?" I go over to the remains of the boulder, where some of the shrapnel is still steaming. _Why would it be steaming- it was hit with water? _It dawns on me suddenly. _He learnt Scald! While I was asleep, the DVD kept playing, and Azul kept watching! _I remember what my mom said, about Azul's potential and the fact that he can become much more powerful if I train him. _The truth is, he doesn't even need me. He basically taught himself. I completely underestimated him. _"Azul, keep doing that, and you'll be carrying us all through the gym challenge!" I bring out his pokeball and prepare to recall him and Kima, and begin my ascent up to our camp again.

"Horsea!" he responds gleefully as I recall him. Kima does the same, and I'm climbing up the ridges again. As I climb up the ridge from the beach, my eye catches on something unusual, hidden between boulders. Curious, I pull it, revealing it to be a glimmering, spherical blue stone on a short chain, obviously handmade. I decide to take it with me, you never know when it could come in handy. I move onto climbing the bluff to camp, passing the road, deserted as always. I arrive back at camp, and waste no time explaining Azul's new move, and how we now have access to clean water wherever we go. Soon after Azul boils the water for us, dinner is ready. We all crowd around the tree-table, even our Pokémon. We eat Minestrone soup with dinner rolls; more of a lunch meal. Our Pokémon eat specialized Pokémon food, made for individual Pokémon species. I feed Azul by hand, as there's no water for him to swim around.

We keep at the table long after dinner, learning more about each other, mostly about Sam. She tells us that she's actually from Diafo City and that her father is also a Pokémon researcher who got her an internship with Cypress. Her mom is an artist who lives in Chroma City. They're happily divorced, and she doesn't seem bitter about the subject, but we don't prod. She's pretty used to travelling between the cities, and on that route is where she caught her Hoothoot, the week before she left for Cypress Labs. Ralts had been a gift from her father a week earlier, so she isn't that much ahead of us in terms of experience. We tell stories about our families, like the time Simon fell into one of the ponds in the yard, and when I went to pull him out, he pulled me in as well. We get a good laugh out of the fond memory. Sam tells us about the time when she was visiting Chroma City and her mother and she took the wrong train and almost ended up all the way in Koilas Town, alone and scared, and how both her parents had to come to pick her up at some small train station in between the cities. We tell stories long into the night, until finally all our Pokémon are dozing.

"Well, Michael and I are heading to bed, so see you tomorrow, I guess," says Simon with a yawn. Sam heads back to her tent as well, carefully lifting Ralts and Hoothoot so they don't wake up. We do the same with our Pokémon, and soon we're all in our sleeping bags, fast asleep with our Pokémon by our sides, sharing each other's heat. Far above our heads, the stars shine bright with the promise of the adventures of tomorrow.


	9. Wet and Wild!

**CHAPTER IX**

"Kimaaaa?" Kima is nuzzling my head vigorously, frustrated. I wait for her to give up, to go back to sleep, but she persists. I roll over, turning my back to her. It doesn't work. She continues to bother me and headbutts my shoulder peevishly. I can feel a concussion coming on, so I decide that I might as well just get up and face whatever makes Kima feel so anxious. I look around the tent for Simon. His stuff is all packed up neatly and ready to go, but he is nowhere to be seen. As I get up, out of my bundles of blankets and my sleeping bag, I notice just how bright it is this morning. It must be almost noon by the looks of it. The clearing is awfully quiet and two dirty bowls are left out on our makeshift table. _Great, _I mumble to myself_, so they even had time to have breakfast? _At least they had the decency to leave the bag of porridge out for me.

Looking around the site, I notice that Samantha's tent is completely gone. In its place, she has laid out her backpack and bike bags. Right now, the only traces of our camp are my tent and the leftovers of their breakfast. Kima trots over to the table, nose to the ground, sniffing for leftovers. I sit down and pour myself a bowl of the porridge. I pour some water from the kettle, which has long before cooled to lukewarm. I barely notice it through my grogginess. What I do notice, however, is the complete serenity of the area. If Simon was anywhere near here, the whole forest would be abuzz.

Something must be wrong, I decide. As I get up from eating, a large boom erupts from further into the forest. Kima gets startled, and turns to look at the source of the even more startled flock of Starly fleeing from the treetops. It seems like the entire forest for miles has erupted into movement, all stemming from the shriek. As soon as the chaos settles, Kima darts into the forest, easily bounding over roots and rocks. Before she disappears into the gloom of the forest, she looks back at me, waiting for me to follow. I almost trip as I begin to run after Kima, who's run off again. I can barely pick out the brown blur up ahead as I race after her. The frenzy eventually goes uphill, and cliffs begin to spring up around. Kima weaves expertly through up the incline, under vines and over mud. Strangely enough, there aren't any more strange outbursts of sound, only the steady pounding of running water, which is slowly increasing as we make our way towards where the noise came from.

Our run eventually evens out, and then the ground drops off completely. Ahead of us juts the rest of the mountain, on the other side of the dip. A small waterfall dives from a hidden spring somewhere up the mountain. It tumbles all the way down the cliff side to a small pond, which boils down to a turbulent river. The river doesn't seem to be too deep, with large boulders and tree trunks stuck in the river bead, creating powerful eddies and rushes. The current is relentless as it drags everything in its path downstream. Looking down into the water, I can see a myriad assortment of Pokémon. They seem to be all gathered around the debris. Something must be wrong.

"Hey, Michael!" shouts a voice from down below. Two silhouettes emerge from the morning shadows at the bottom of the bluff. Samantha and Simon look completely filthy. Not bedraggled and sleepy, but utterly filthy. Samantha's normally pristine white jacket, a researcher's trademark, is almost solid brown. Simon looks soaked, and he's adjusting his shoe. What could've happened to create this mess, and how did they get down there? "What are you waiting for? Come down here and help us!"

Samantha just shakes her head. "Well, that would be great, but it would even be better if, I don't know, grabbed us our pokeballs from up there by the edge? Simon obviously didn't think of much. We were sitting over there, by that huge stump? Right before it drops off into the river, away from the falls?" I make my way over there and pick the five pokeballs up. _Five? _I wonder. _Pix, Abra, Hoothoot, Kirlia- and who else? Did they catch another Pokémon? _

"Okay, I got them… How do I get down?" I call towards them. I see skid marks down the cliff, clearly the path of least resistance that they took. I don't want to end up like them: drenched. Across the pit, I spy a gently series of ledges down into the pond. If I go all the way around to it, I'll have to literally cross the waterfalls, probably getting shoved off and dashed against the rocks blow. No good. My only option is to try and jump the distance between the edge of this side and the other and then descending. From there, I can't see any possible way to get to their side without swimming.

I realize upon closer inspection now that the gap between the sides is quite narrow, just enough for me to leap. I make my way to the edge, peering down into the rapids. Simon and Samantha have now followed my plan. They stand there expectantly, waiting for my next move. I gather up all my courage, preparing my feat. Just as it almost deserts me completely, I jump. After a few silent seconds in mid-air, I land on the other, unbalanced, teetering on the edge, yet unharmed. I quickly push myself forward to avoid a backwards fall. I make it to the edges without issue and start my descent.

I'm gazing out across the water towards my friends, thinking. As I look up, I realize now that my way down is not possible in reverse. The last ledge is another seven or eight feet up, completely unattainable. The mouth of the rapids is the only way out of the gorge. _Best not tell them about that, _I muse, _we'll cross that bridge when we get to it._ Currently, a huge pileup of branches and boulders has made a full on dam, with barely any water seeping through, and no Pokémon, or humans, crossing either. "Guys? I think we need to blow out the clog!" I shout through the roar of the waterfall. They nod their approval. Now that I'm nearer, I can see that Samantha's coat is not that dirty, but is actually a blue-green blob. I have no clue what she deemed important enough to get stuck down here. I turn my attention back to the dam.

"Go, Azul!" Azul appears in a red flash of energy from his pokeball into the water, gleefully swimming around. Kima stands at the ready beside me, anxious. "Go, Kirlia and Abra!" I might as well include the extra power provided by their Pokémon. "Alright, everything at the dam! Kima, Swift! Azul, Scald! Kirlia, Shadow Ball! Abra, Hidden Power! Stars, torrents and energy balls all shoot towards the dam, annihilating it completely. The wild Pokémon are free to the sea now. I see now that the horde is mostly composed of Shellos and Buizel, among other fish Pokémon. I've heard of places like these: wild Pokémon swim up little streams and rivers to calm, isolated ponds and lakes where they can spend their nights peacefully instead of on the open sea. But if they get trapped at night, they're essentially stuck there. The wreckage shoots out, dispersing around the surrounding area, rushing towards the sea. _As we will be soon, hopefully, _I think.

"Michael, what now? How do we get out?" shouts Samantha from the other side.

"Jump in! The only way out is out to sea, and we'll a beach where we can land and hopefully get back on route 01. Let's meet up at the boulder in the middle so we stay together!" I immediately jump into the refreshing water, feeling the current tug at my body. I left all my electronics at the campsite, praise the lord. From the water, I return all the Pokémon except Azul, who I hold onto to keep steady. I attach the pokeballs to my belt, where they'll be safe. I can see Simon and Samantha lock onto each other and begin the swim. Horsea begins to drag me as I kick with my legs. In no time, we've made it to the middle.

Simon doesn't wait any longer than needed. He nods as he links elbows with me. Samantha still has one arm locked around her lump, which is starting to look like a Pokémon, but there's too much going on to clearly identify it. We all push off the rock at the same time, beginning our float down the rapids. We assume the feet first position, which everyone knows is the safest way to swim rapids. We slide down rapidly for about a hundred meters, until yet another wooden blockade looms before us. Just as we're about to crash into it, unable to stop ourselves, Sam's bundle does something incredible: it bombards the dam with mud. It instantly splits apart as we hurtle passed it, out into the sea. It happened all too fast for me to appreciate the accomplishment. We continue downstream, passing underneath a bridge that can only be Route 01.

Once into the sea, we make for land, getting pulled in by the tide. We land coincidentally at the same beach that I trained at last night. We make it ashore in no time, soaked but uninjured. I finally see the Pokémon that Samantha has taken all this way: it's a Shellos, the northern variant, meaning the blue and green colouration. We're all too tired for introductions so I'll just have to wait until later until I get to formally meet it. I show everyone how to scramble up onto the road, and then back to the camp. We huddle into our tents for a while, exhausted and soaked. Sam and Simon set up Sam's tent again, which just goes to show that we made zero progress today. I get changed into my warmest sweater, despite the weather. We all decide to take a nap, and only leave the tents after nightfall, which basically screws up our sleep schedule.

Yet again we crowd around the stone table, squished as ever. Simon made his father's chili, melting our bodies down to the core, even hours after our journey down the rapids. We sit in a comfortable silence, letting the warmth soak through. Finally, I decide that I cannot wait any longer.

"So, uhm, what were you guys doing this morning? I mean, what did you two do to cause this entire mess?" I say it lightly, as I don't want to pry or make them uneasy about the situation. I wait patiently for their answers. It's Sam who answers first:

"It's not something like that, gosh, no!" She looks offended that I thought that. Simon, on the other hand, is offended at her reaction. Best not say anything. "This morning, I wanted to look around the forest, you know, and maybe catch a Pokémon. It'd be great for my research, and making new friends is always great. As I'm eating breakfast, Simon came out of your tent, and volunteered to come with me and to help. We ended up finding the waterfall, and as we're lying down and chilling, an old tree trunk collapsed off of two other trunks. The uprooted trees loosened the earth, dragging it, and us, into the pit. The trees that fell splintered into the river, blocking it as you saw. I noticed that a Shellos had gotten trapped underneath some branches, so Simon helped me free it. I was comforting it when you showed up, and then you know the rest."

"Sam was great! She didn't even panic when we got washed out, and she went right away to free him!" Simon is quite ecstatic about the entire thing, but Sam doesn't seem to mind. An awkward silence lingers.

"So?" I ask, waiting for Sam to continue.

"So, what?" We look at her blankly.

I gesture pointedly at the Shellos resting at our feet, oblivious just like Sam. "What are you going to do with this Pokémon then?"

"Oh, right!" She seems almost embarrassed that she forgot. She digs in her jacket pockets, looking for something. She pulls out the empty pokeball that I saw earlier and kneels down beside the blue Shellos. "Shellos, do you want to stay with me? We'll get stronger and learn a lot! It'll be fun!" she's so nervous that she thinks Shellos needs convincing. Knowing Sam, she convinced Shellos when she first saw him; she's just that kind of person. Shellos beams at the prospect, and begins to yelp anxiously.

"Shell! Shell-os!" he cries happily as he gets sucked into the pokeball. We hear an audible click as the red energy fades away. We all pull out our Pokedexes to scan the new Pokémon. Sam will be the only one with a complete Pokedex entry, as she was the one who caught him, but Simon and I can get the basics.

SHELLOS, THE SEA SLUG POKÉMON. ITS COLOURS AND SHAPES VARY WITH THEIR HABITAT. ITS BODY IS ABLE TO SECRETE LIQUID OOZE WHEN SQUISHED.

"Ah, so it says here that my Shellos is a male and knows Water Pulse, Mud-Slap and Mud Sport," says Sam as she reads its information on her tablet.

"He must've used Mud-Slap while we were in the water to clear the debris," adds Simon, "So that's how powerful he is, then."

"Yeah, that means you're in for a good time with him!" I clap Simon on the back. "You know, I'm going to bed. Let's try to get moving before ten o'clock, so we can get to Desmos city before dusk." As I walk back towards my tent, I turn around. "I'll warm up the tent for you, Simon," I say jokingly with a wink. I keep going, hearing their giggles resonate through the night.


End file.
